The Army Doctor's Wedding (12 page)

"That's enough. I think it's
time you left." Radley stepped in front of her father, shielding her and
Sami from his view. Alice had wondered how a gentle man like Radley had made
colonel so young. Now she got a glimpse of a different side of him as he stood
his ground beneath her father's steely gaze.

Alice's mother froze, her obvious
distress tearing at Alice's heart. Why didn't she just walk out and leave the
man? Alice had tried so hard to help her be strong, yet the one time they'd
made it to a women's refuge, her mother had lasted one night before she caved
and went home.

Leaning close, Alice kissed her
cheek. "I'll call you."

"I'm sorry." She
hurried towards the door and Radley stood aside to let her past.

"That child is not for
you," Alice's father said. "I'll make sure of it." Then the door
slammed and Radley cursed.

The moment they were gone,
Alice's bravado collapsed. She sank into the sofa, her muscles trembling.

Her father did not make idle
threats.

***

This was Cameron's favorite time of day. He sat on the hill
above the field hospital, staring out across the desert. The sky, an endless
expanse of deepest navy speckled with points of light, made him feel he was
somewhere magical and out of this world.

The heat of the day had faded and
the temperature was more bearable. These first few weeks of November, a cooler
wind had replaced the hot gusts that filled his eyes, nose, and mouth with
gritty dust. The torrential bursts of rain had stopped and the humidity had
fallen. It was a welcome relief from the muggy, baking conditions that left him
soaked with sweat, and made his dust-encrusted clothes stick to his skin.

He pulled his mobile phone from
his pocket, tapped the screen, and checked the signal strength, then called
Alice.

A grin stretched his lips in
anticipation of hearing her voice. The last couple of weeks she'd started
holding the phone up to Sami's mouth. Sometimes he obliged them and made one of
his cute babbling sounds for his dad.

"Hello, Cam." The
slight catch in Alice's voice wiped his smile and replaced it with a frown.

"Is anything wrong with
Sami?"

"No."

"What's the matter then,
love?"

Silence.

He'd learned that she didn't like
to bother him with problems. She tried to deal with things herself and pretend
all was well.

"Alice, tell me."

"You can't do anything about
it."

"I can't if you don't tell
me." Of course, if she did tell him he was too far away to help much, but
he could always call Radley or his father if the problem was serious. And he
sensed this was.

"My father's found out about
Sami. He came to Olivia and Radley's looking for me. He'll try to stop me from
adopting Sami."

Cameron knew Alice had issues
with her father, although she'd not confided much of her childhood. She didn't
like to talk about it, and he hadn't pressed her. But even if her father was a
bastard, Cameron didn't see how the man could influence the adoption process.

"I'm sure he was just trying
to upset you."

"He did that all
right." Her voice cracked as she suppressed tears.

"Sorry I wasn't there. Don't
let him get to you." Cameron longed to hold her and provide moral support.
He always missed her and Sami, always wished he was with them, but for the
first time he felt frustrated and angry at the distance between them.

"Remember he's a judge in
the family division of the High Court. He knows social workers in the adoption
agencies."

Unease stole through Cameron. Was
this man really in a position to influence the adoption process?

"Don't worry, love. Let me
talk with Radley and Dad."

They moved on to happier topics.
Alice told him what Sami had been doing that day.

"Love you, sweetheart,"
he said, and reluctantly ended the call.

In the distance came the familiar
drone of a Chinook helicopter bringing in supplies to the nearby airfield under
cover of dark.

Cameron tuned out the noise and
stared at the lights of the refugee camp, his gaze losing focus. It sounded as
though Radley had met Alice's father, and he was a pretty good judge of
character. He called his brother to get an account of what had taken place.

"Olivia recognized
him," Radley said. "She's never encountered him in court, thank
goodness. He's got a grim reputation among the female lawyers. Sounds like he's
a misogynist. I thought he seemed okay at first, but as soon as Alice turned up
he started giving her a hard time. I didn't like him much."

"Did he really threaten to
interfere in us adopting Sami?"

"I'm afraid so."

Cameron had hoped Alice was
overreacting. "Perhaps I should resign from the army now and come home.
Looks like I might end up having to do that anyway to satisfy the adoption
requirements." He didn't like leaving Alice at home, worrying, facing all
the anxiety and uncertainty alone.

"Call Dad first,"
Radley said. "Don't make any life-altering decisions until you've checked
with him."

"Okay. Thanks, Rad."

Cameron tapped his phone on his
knee, turning over what his brother had said. They had a problem with Alice's
father by the sound of it. One more thing to overcome.

His phone vibrated against his
knee and he glanced at the screen to see it was his father.

"Hello, Dad."

"Radley called me. Don't
resign. I have a posting in the pipeline for you."

Cameron's dismal mood lightened
at the enthusiasm in his father's voice. "I need some good news."

"This is a pet project of
mine, something I've been pushing for. It's based in the UK and you'd be the
perfect person to head it up. It would mean a promotion to lieutenant colonel
if the idea works out."

A shiver of excitement passed
through Cameron. He'd thought he'd be stuck at major for the rest of his career
as he was considered a bit of a maverick. "Tell me more."

Chapter Twelve

The black limousine slid through the rush hour traffic, the
engine purring. Alice had never ridden in a limo before. She leaned back in the
plush leather seat, enjoying the ride.

She had passed her driving test
in time to pick Cameron up from the airport, but then everything changed. Three
weeks before Christmas he was flying home early to take up a new post.

Cameron's father sat in the back
with her, his attention absorbed by the documents on his lap. Every now and
then he made a notation in the margin.

He had come straight from work in
London and still wore his uniform, his hat laid on the seat between them. Alice
felt underdressed in jeans, but she'd paired them with a pretty pink lacy
cardigan. She had taken extra care with her makeup and straightened her hair so
it hung down her back, sleek and shiny. Sami liked tangling his sticky fingers
in her hair, so these days it was normally tied back.

Major General Knight put down his
papers and glanced up. "Sorry to ignore you. I wanted to get this finished
tonight."

She had grown used to him over
the past weeks. He and Sandra sometimes babysat Sami. Cameron's father seemed
less intimidating when he wasn't in uniform, but she still hadn't summoned the
courage to call him George. She couldn't really call him by his military rank
either, so she just avoided calling him anything. It was kind of embarrassing.

His phone chimed. Picking it up,
he checked the screen. "Cameron's flight has landed on time."

Her excitement at seeing Cameron
overcame her nerves. She bounced forward on the seat, staring out the window as
they slowed to pass through the gates at RAF Brize Norton.

The limousine pulled up outside
the terminal building. Major General Knight picked up his papers and
straightened them. "You go on ahead and meet Cameron. I'll follow in a few
minutes." He smiled, his eyes warm like Cameron's. Alice softened at the
thought he was giving them time alone. Although he seemed a little scary at
times, he was a kind man. She knew that from watching him play with Sami.

"Thanks." She pushed
open the door and jumped out, then dashed through the airport entrance, heading
for arrivals, her pulse racing.

She and Cameron had only been
married for a short while, and half that time had been spent apart. Although
they had talked nearly every day, it wasn't the same as being together. She
couldn't wait to sink into his arms and kiss him again.

Cameron strode out through
arrivals in his desert camouflage uniform, a bag slung over his shoulder. His
hair was a little longer than when he left, and he was tanned a golden brown.

When he saw her, he dropped his
bag and opened his arms. "Alice!"

Heart thumping, she ran towards
him. He picked her up, swung her around, and kissed her.

"It's so good to be
home," he whispered, his face buried against her neck. "I missed you
so much."

He smelled of the desert, of dust
and heat. Memories rushed back of their days together in the field hospital.
Even though her arm had been in a cast and she'd had nothing but the clothes on
her back, those weeks were some of the best of her life.

"I missed you too."

He set her back on her feet but
kept his arms around her, a grin on his face. "I wish you'd brought Sami.
I can't wait to see him."

"Your dad said not to.
Aren't we looking around your plane?"

"That's right. My new
responsibility." Cameron kissed her again, then picked up his bag and
gripped her hand. "Let's go and find my father."

Major General Knight stood a
short distance away, a commanding figure, his hands linked behind his back.

"Dad!" Cameron embraced
his father with obvious affection. The older man returned the hug with equal
enthusiasm.

"You're looking fit and
well, son. You certainly thrive in challenging conditions. This new posting
should suit you perfectly. Are you looking forward to it?"

"You bet." Cameron
looped his arm around Alice's waist.

Cameron had mentioned his new job
would be based at Brize Norton and involved a plane, but that's all she knew.
She'd been so excited at the thought of having him home with her and Sami, she
hadn't asked for details.

They headed back to the limousine
and climbed in while the driver stowed Cameron's bag.

"We need to go through a
different gate to access the hangars," Major General Knight said.

Alice snuggled up to Cameron's
side as the limo slid away, wishing they were alone so she could kiss him.

The car didn't travel far. They
left the main terminal and took a private road to a military checkpoint. The
tinted car window lowered and Cameron's father flashed his identification. They
were quickly allowed through. The limousine followed the service road along the
side of the runway towards a group of massive aircraft hangars at the far end
of the compound.

Cameron and his dad chatted about
the continuing conflict in Africa. Alice listened with half an ear, staring out
the window. Lights gleamed in the gathering dusk through the fine misty rain.
The car stopped outside the open door of a brightly lit hangar. A few people in
army overalls were busy inside.

A massive dull green aircraft
with a red cross on the side stood under the lights. The back was open, providing
a ramp for them to walk up. Alice knew little about medical equipment, but one
glance inside told her this was a mobile hospital.

"I thought you'd like to see
where Cameron will be working," Major General Knight said to her.
"Sandra tells me if she can picture where I am and what I'm doing, it
helps her cope when I'm away."

"Thank you." He
was
thoughtful.

"Each deployment will be
very short, though." Cameron squeezed her hand.

"A week at most," his
father agreed. "On paper, your posting is here."

They halted in the belly of the
plane. Beds, monitors, stretchers, oxygen cylinders, and other medical
equipment she couldn't identify surrounded them.

Cameron released her hand and
wandered about, opening metal units and checking everything out.

His father turned to Alice.
"The RAF has units that specialize in providing role-one medical support
for overseas operations. I've been pressing for the army to have its own
deployable aeromedical teams for rapid response support in conflict zones. We
need it for the initial few days before we establish a field hospital."

"So Cameron will take this
mobile hospital oversees when a new war starts?"

"In a nutshell. It will also
be scrambled for use in natural disasters and any occasion where we need a
medical resource on the ground quickly."

"Sounds exciting." And
dangerous, but no more so than working in a field hospital.

Cameron came back, smiling and
nodding. "Excellent. The facilities are first class."

"You'll have a six-hour
response time," his father said. "It'll require you to live nearby
and be on standby."

"Not a problem. The rental
property is close anyway. When we buy our own place, we'll search within a
thirty-minute radius of the airport."

Taking her hand, Cameron led her
around, showing her the equipment and explaining what some of it was used for.
"What do you think, love?"

"It's wonderful. You get to
live at home." She gave a little squeal and bounced on her toes to kiss
him, bubbling with excitement at having him back.

"I get the best of both
worlds, being with you and practicing my specialty where I'm most needed."

"And you're ideal for this
position. It plays to all your strengths. You're good at motivating a team in
challenging and dangerous conditions. Combine that with your experience in
battlefield trauma and you are the perfect man to take control of this
unit."

At his father's words, Cameron
stood tall, eyes sparkling with excitement and pride. "Thanks for this
opportunity, Dad. You really came through for me. I owe you one."

Cameron shook his father's hand
and the two men embraced.

"You don't owe me anything,
Cam. It's my pleasure."

Alice glowed inside to see her
husband happy. This was a new start for them, one that should satisfy the
social workers.

***

Cameron climbed from the limo in front of his house. His
mother ran out the front door with a cry of joy, threw her arms around his
neck, and kissed his cheek. "My darling boy, it's so good to have you
home. I breathe a sigh of relief every time one of my boys comes home safely,
especially you. You're the reckless one."

"Not anymore, Mum. I have
responsibilities now."

"That's good to hear."

His father passed him his bag and
he carried it inside, Alice a few steps in front.

"Sami, look who it is. It's
Daddy." Alice dropped to the floor behind Sami on his play mat and lifted
the baby to sit between her legs.

Cameron couldn't believe how much
his son had changed in the couple of months since he last saw him. He wore
little denim dungarees, soft blue boots, and a matching T-shirt. His hair was
longer as well. He gnawed on a bright pink and yellow toy in his hand.

Chest tight with emotion, Cameron
dropped his bag and sank to his haunches. He'd missed so much of Sami's
development. Would his little boy even recognize him?

"Hello, Samikins. Do you
remember Daddy?"

His son dropped the toy and
stretched out both arms towards Cameron, his lips parting in a happy smile,
revealing two white teeth.

"Of course he recognizes
you," his mother said.

With almost painful relief,
Cameron scooped the child into his arms for a cuddle.

He kissed Sami's hair, then held
him up above his head, jiggling him until he giggled. Drool trailed from the
baby's mouth onto Cameron's shirt.

Alice jumped up and wiped it away
with a cloth. "Poor baby is teething. You'll get used to the drool. There's
a lot of it."

"Are my Samikins's toothies
sore?"

Cameron's father cleared his
throat from the doorway. "Come on, Sandra. I think it's time we left these
young people alone."

Cradling Sami in one arm, Cameron
hugged and kissed his mother good-bye.

Alice gave his mother a kiss as
well. "Sandra, thank you so much for babysitting Sami so I could see
Cameron's hospital plane. It looks very exciting."

"You're welcome, dear. You
know how much I love looking after my darling baby boy."

Cameron passed Sami to Alice,
then followed his parents outside. "Thanks again, Dad." He embraced
his father. He seemed to be doing a lot of hugging his dad today.

"Remember, you're meeting me
in London tomorrow evening," his father said. "Sir Alistair Conway
has a shock coming if he thinks he can interfere with my family."

"I'll come up on the train
in the afternoon. I need to visit Hatton Garden and do some ring
shopping."

His mother rested a hand on his
shoulder and leaned close, her gaze moving to the door to check Alice wasn't
listening. "Did you call the vicar?"

"Yep. The church is
booked."

"Good. You'll have a busy
week with the home visit from the adoption agency as well. But I'm sure that
will be fine."

Cameron stepped back inside his
house and closed the door as the limousine pulled away. He paused for a moment
and smiled at the sound coming from upstairs—Alice chatting to Sami as she
changed his diaper and the baby boy babbling back. It really was so good to be
home with the two people he loved most in the world.

After his flight home, he should
be tired and hungry. Yet all he hungered for was time with his family. He
untied his boots, pulled them off, then grabbed his bag and ran upstairs,
taking the steps two at a time.

Sami had moved into the second
bedroom. Alice had transformed the room with blue and yellow walls and
stenciled cartoon characters. She'd even assembled the flat-packed wooden crib
on her own.

She'd discussed colors with him
and sent him pictures of what she'd done, never making him feel guilty for not
being here to help. She just got on with it. He gazed around, feeling like an
outsider in her domain.

When they moved into their own
place, he would make sure they decorated the nursery together and shared
everything. He longed to be a full part of their lives.

"The room looks great,
love."

"Thank you. I'm really
pleased with how it turned out." She finished securing the closures on
Sami's sleep suit and picked him up. "He just needs his bottle then we can
pop him in bed. Do you want to feed him?"

"You do this feed. I'll take
care of the next one. I need to jump in the shower." His skin was still
sticky and gritty, and he longed to be clean.

A little while later Cameron
emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his hips, and headed to
his bedroom.

Alice lay on the bed in a silky
blue nightdress, a plate of sandwiches and two glasses of wine on the
nightstand. Cameron halted in the doorway, a grin pulling at his lips. It
looked like his wife had the same idea he did. "Where's Sami?"

"In bed."

She rose and came to him, her
sleek golden hair cascading over pale shoulders, her skin like polished ivory
beneath the rich blue satin. How he had missed her, missed the gentle caress of
her fingers, and the feel of her silky skin.

Heat seared along his veins, the
weeks of wanting her coming back in a rush of almost uncontrollable longing.

She leaned in, her hair tickling
his chest, and ran her fingertips over his pecs. "I thought we could have
an early night. There are sandwiches if you're hungry."

"Sandwiches are the last
thing on my mind." Cameron pulled her close, reveling in the feel of the
woman he loved in his arms. He speared his fingers through her hair and cupped
the back of her head as she stared up at him. "All I want right now is
you."